…having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:5-6, NKJV)
Today’s PGA tour golfers all have swing coaches working with them, yet they seem to never be satisfied with their swing.
I recently began trying a new swing taught to me by the president of Links Players, Jeff Cranford, who is also a PGA Professional. I’m proud to call Jeff my swing coach, but when I first started this new swing, I had my doubts. At times the ball went farther, but many more times it went wayward! I was pretty comfortable with my old short but straight approach. Still, as I have stuck with that lesson, my game has improved and my play has become more consistent.
But guess what? Now it’s my putting. I’m working with a new putter and grip. Oh, I can be a mess!
We golfers are such unsatisfied people. Fortunately, today’s message is a lot better news for me and you!
The idea of God’s satisfaction is one that has been passed along from Bible teacher to Bible teacher. It hits at the core of a question many people ask of themselves: Is God satisfied with me?
Frankly, the answer is no. In the same way that we cannot be satisfied with the imperfection of our golf games, God cannot be satisfied with the imperfection of his people. We excel at missing his mark!
So let’s ask a bigger question: What does satisfy God? We already have pointed to part of the answer. Perfection satisfies God. And perfection exists only in the life and death of Jesus. For Jesus lived in perfect obedience to the will of the Father and the Father’s plan for his life. This culminated with the atoning work of Jesus on the cross.
Therefore, the question is not whether God is satisfied with me; it is whether he is satisfied with Jesus. And because of the cross, we can say: In Jesus, God is completely satisfied!
Which leads to one grand personal conclusion for you and me: If we want God to be satisfied with us, we must align ourselves with Jesus. We must become his faith-filled brothers and sisters. We must go to the cross, for this is where our acceptance is found.
As a believer, God does not evaluate our lives based on what we have or have not done. He assesses us based on what Jesus has done. It’s a crazy exchange, but to the same extent that God is satisfied with Jesus, he is satisfied with you when you place your trust in him. He makes us accepted in his Beloved.
—
Dereck Wong
July 16, 2012
Copyright 2012 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.